


I'll Be There

by Browneyesparker



Series: Love Scenes [9]
Category: The Mentalist
Genre: Angst, Broadway, F/M, Hadley Fraser - Freeform, I'll Be There, Romance, Songfic, The Pirate Queen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-05
Updated: 2014-04-05
Packaged: 2018-01-18 07:28:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1419648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Browneyesparker/pseuds/Browneyesparker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He watched her go, fighting the urge to run after her and kiss her, to say the things that had been on his mind for the better part of a decade. He knew, if he was really patient and he bided his time, she would come back to him one day. Inspired by "I'll Be There" from the Pirate Queen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Be There

_I’ll be there, heaven speed me. By your side as you need me. I’ll be there for you.”_

**I’ll Be There, the Pirate Queen_**

It was a struggle to be close to her, especially now when she smelled so unlike herself and more like Marcus Pike’s cheap cologne. It was hard to be her friend when her thoughts were so occupied with the FBI agent and she was no longer in tune with him. She didn’t notice that she was on the receiving end of fake smiles, that for the second time in his life, he his whole entire world was shattering to pieces. She didn’t notice that he was doing his best not to interfere with her newfound happiness, that even though he wanted to lay all his cards out on the table and claim her as his, he resisted the urge.

It was a struggle to see her face light up whenever she got a text from him, to hear her confide in Fischer that Agent Pike had asked her to move to Washington D.C with him. He despised how easily _Marcus_ fell from her lips after weeks of knowing him, when she never called him _Patrick_ with any ease at all even after knowing each other for twelve years.

He watched all of this and he pretended that he was happy for her. Holding onto a fractured kind of hope that she would wake up and realize _he_ was the one that she really wanted.

**.**

Then it happened. The moment he had been waiting for ever since they’d been reunited in Texas. She invited him out to have dinner with her, alone. He felt like a school boy anticipating a first date with his first crush. He could barely contain his excitement as he got ready to meet her at an offbeat Tex-Mex joint down the street from FBI headquarters.

She was waiting for him, looking radiant in emerald and denim, a slightly anxious look on her face as she dragged a tortilla chip back and forth through fresh salsa.

**.**

“Do you have any intent of eating that?” he teased, sliding into the chair across from her.

“Hello Jane,” she said in reply, promptly dropping the chip on the small plate in front of her.

“Hi.”

There was a long pause, then she signaled for the waitress and ordered two lime Coronas. She didn’t look at him the whole time, kept her eyes on the miniature pinata centerpiece that was between them.

“Those have to be the most ugly color pairings that I’ve ever seen,” he commented as he tried to find what was so fascinating about the pinata. “Lime green and stucco orange. Yuck.”

She didn’t even crack a smile, didn’t agree with him or anything. She picked up the chip again and started to drag it through the salsa again, setting her jaw determinedly as she did.

He sighed and twiddled his fingers, unsure of what to say or do next. She was giving off a vibe that told him this wasn’t a friendly dinner, this wasn’t because she wanted something more. He waited anxiously, his stomach churned violently as he anticipated what was going to come next. Whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be good.

**.**

The waitress returned with their beer and then asked them if they needed more time to look over the menu. They both said no, both told her that they weren’t very hungry. They took tiny sips of beer at the same time, and he found that the carbonated beverage did nothing for his stomach. He pushed the bottle away from him and put his hand on top of her’s, stopping her mid-swipe.

**.**

She looked at him for the first time in a long time and took a deep breath. “You must be wondering why I asked you out tonight.”

“I was wondering that, yes. . .” he trailed off and sighed, pulling his hand away from her and offering her a weak smile. “I’m beginning to think it wasn’t for the reasons I hoped.”

She released a deep breath and looked away again, pinching the chip between her fingers and letting it crumble into pieces on the tablecloth. “I’m leaving.”

He felt like he had been punched in the gut, _she was leaving?_ Clearly she had already forgotten that he had joined the FBI especially for her, forgotten that he had spent two years of his life baring his soul to her.

Suddenly he wished that he was back in the FBI detention center and that she was all the way back in Washington state, being Sheriff and not realizing Marcus Pike existed.

“Say something,” she pleaded. “Please. . .”

He shook his head, too overwhelmed to speak. And he knew if he did try to say anything, he was just going to beg her to stay. She wouldn’t appreciate it, it would only make her resolve to leave him stronger than ever. He took a moment to compose herself, to think of something to say that would please her.

“If it goes wrong, I’ll be here for you,” he finally said. “I just want you to know that Lisbon.”

She looked startled, like it was the last thing she was expecting him to say. And then she smiled.” Thank you,” she whispered, pulling her wallet out of her back pocket and throwing a few bills on the table. “I have to go. We’re leaving in a few days and I still have so much to do.”

He watched her go, fighting the urge to run after her and kiss her, to say the things that had been on his mind for the better part of a decade. He knew, if he was really patient and he bided his time, she would come back to him one day.

She didn’t love Marcus Pike the way she loved him, not even close. She liked him at best, liked the way that he made her feel and how he was disgustingly honest and upfront with her. One day though, she would eventually come to her senses and realize that they didn’t share anything at all, one day she would realize Pike didn’t love her. Not the way he did.

He just needed to practice patience, even though patience had never really been his strong suit.

**.**

She would call him once in a while, just to see how he was and to assure him that she herself was doing well, that she was settling in well.

The regular calls started to come around the sixth month that she was gone. It was just small talk really. She told him about life in Washington D.C and her new church, how all the members were really welcoming of her. She told him tales about the new unit that she was working with and how they all went out for closed-case burgers and fries at a place called the Royal Diner. She was making new friends, especially with two particular women.  

He listened, pretended to be happy for her and Pike. Pretended to be interested in the life she was sharing with someone else. Supporting her on the days that were really bad and celebrating with her on the days that were really good.

As time passed, she started talking to him like she had in the old days, when it was just the two of them and they were the best of friends. She didn’t come right out and say it, but he could tell by reading between the lines that things weren’t so sunny in paradise anymore. He was barely home anymore, he was always busy with work. There was a new girl in his unit, he had taken her out for pancakes.

He listened as she justified his actions. She was the girl _was_ new in town, after all. Her family and friends were back in New York. She needed somebody to be nice to her, to show her around Washington DC and make sure that she didn’t get too lonely in a strange new land.

Eighteen months later, she called him and told him that she was being transferred back to Texas. She still didn’t say anything negative, but he could tell that everything had gone wrong. He was just about to ask her what happened when her voice stopped him.

“Are you still here for me?” She asked, her tone was laced with uncertainty.

“Of course!” He answered promptly, eager to be her knight in shining white armor again.

“Do you think you could fly up to DC and help me move?”

“When do you want me to be there?”

“Is this weekend too much of an inconvenience? I need to be out by Tuesday, they already have somebody lined up to rent my apartment.”

“I’ll be there,” he promised.

**.**

  
She met him at the airport, holding up a little sign with his name on it. He went over to her without hesitation, dropped his overnight bag and wrapped her up in his arms. He inhaled her deeply and felt a sense of peace when he realized that she smelled distinctly like herself again.

“Thank you for coming,” she murmured into his shoulder.

He pulled away and studied her, she was even more beautiful than she had been that night she’d left him at the Tex-Mex restaurant. “Lisbon,” he whispered, pushing her hair away from her face.

She closed her eyes to his touch, and put her hand on his. “Jane. . . thank you for coming,” she repeated, not knowing what else to say.

“I told you. . . I’m going to be there for you whenever you need me.”

“I know,” she answered, removing his hand from her face but not letting go of him. “Come on. I got most of the packing done, I just needed somebody to help me with the heavy lifting and to keep me company on the long drive back to Texas.”

“Happy to be of service to you,” he replied.

**.**

They drove back to her apartment and ordered pizza, when it arrived they sat cross-legged on the floor, with the box between them.

“Are you ever going to tell me what happened?” He asked.

She rearranged the pineapple on her slice of pizza and shrugged. “It’s ancient history now.”

“I know when you’re lying to me,” he told her.

“Marcus wasn’t the man I thought he was,” she answered. “But then men like him rarely are, I should have seen it coming. He was too. . .”  
“Too nice?” He finished for her. “Too normal?”

“Yes. I guess that should have clued me in, guys usually aren’t that nice and upfront. Are they? I mean my brother Joseph is the nicest guy I know, and even he isn’t ever as upfront and honest as Marcus was.”

“Marcus left you for that new girl in his unit, didn’t he?”

She shrugged, threw her crust in the box and stretched her legs out in front of her, sighing as she did. “It’s ancient history.”  
“Nobody deserves to be treated like that. Especially not you.”

She smiled wanly at him. “Thanks, I appreciate that. Especially coming from you, especially after the way I treated you.”

He shrugged. “Ancient history.”

Her smile was genuine and she reached for another slice of pizza, accidentally brushing his hand with her fingers as she did. She pulled away, embarrassed and fell into silence as they finished their dinner and prepared for a long night of packing up the rest of her apartment.

**.**

  
They listened to top 40 stuff on the long drive back to Dallas, filling in the loud space of silence between them with boy bands and auto-tuned pop stars. She figured there was too much time and hurt between them to repair the damage she had done by leaving him for somebody else. Especially when he had tried so hard to be with her in the first place. She knew that she had disappointed him, and she couldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to have anything to do with her ever again.

The fact that he was even driving with her back to Texas was a testament to how much she actually meant to him. She turned away from him, looked out the window at the passing scenery and wished that she hadn’t ever looked for something better than him.

**.**

“Do you have anywhere to stay?” He asked, pulling into his driveway and stretching his fingers out.

She paused and then shook her head. She hadn’t thought that far ahead, she had just wanted to get out of Washington DC as fast as possible. She still saw Marcus and his new girlfriend every single day at work and at the diner, and she just couldn’t take it anymore.

“You can stay with me until you figure out a living situation,” he decided promptly, he stopped and looked at her seriously. “You can stay with me forever, if you’d like. I have plenty of room.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she said softly. “I’m sure Kim would be fine letting me crash at her place.”

“But she’d have to consult with Cho first.”

“Oh. . .” She trailed off. “Well then, I’ll try and not overstay my welcome.”

“I wish you would,” he told her. “I told you, I was going to be here for you. Please Teresa, let me be here for you. It’s what I really want, what I’ve always wanted.”

She swallowed, too tired to argue with him and bring up the past. To bring up their sorry history, because as many times as he hadn’t been there for her, he always came through.

“I wanted to ask you to stay the first time,” he told her, taking her hand and entwining their fingers. “I just didn’t want you to think I was interfering with your life. “

“Why?” She asked, swallowing hard, trying to get the dry feeling out of her mouth and throat. “Why would you want me to stay? Why would you want to be here for me? I treated you awfully during those months before I left. I practically ignored you. I wanted. . .”

“I love you,” he told her. “That’s why I want to do those things for you. I’ve loved you for a long time now and that’s why I didn’t ask you to stay with me. I was so certain if I just waited patiently, you’d be back. And here you are, right where you belong and with nowhere to go.”

  
She looked at him wordlessly. Uncertain of what to say next, her heart beating out of her chest uncontrollably. “Jane. . .” she managed.

“Don’t say anything,” he interjected. “Let’s just go in and get you settled, you don’t have to make a decision right now. I’ll still be here waiting when you’re ready. Whatever you want to do, I’ll support that. But I’m not letting you go this time. Not without a fight.”

**.**

And fight for her he did. He was driving her crazy in all the best ways.  For the first time since she’d met him and fallen in love with him, she had hope that something could actually happen between them.

One Saturday, just when he was about to take her apartment hunting for the second week in a row, she stopped him in the kitchen and took the keys out of his hands.

“Were you being honest with me when you said that you’d always be there for me?” She asked, looking him directly in the eyes.

“Yes,” he replied, not looking away.

“And when you said you loved me?”  
He nodded. “I would never lie about that, I might have  taken it back once, but I wasn’t lying. And I wasn’t lying when I said it the second time either.”

She released a breath and stood on tiptoe to kiss him chastely on the mouth. “Good. Because I’m staying right here,” she said.

His eyes lit up and he broke into a large smile. “Really?”

“Really,” she confirmed. “I love you too and I want to be there for you again just like old times, just like you’ve be there for me this past year. How does that sound to you?”

He beamed and kissed her back. “I thought you’d never say that!”

**_The End_**

**.**

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note:
> 
> I’m sorry for this story. Especially because I said I was going to work exclusively on my “That’s How It Should Be” collection. I just have a lot of feelings right now and this was born from them. I hope you enjoyed it. Leave me a review and tell me what you think.
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> Love,  
> Holly, 4/5/2014_


End file.
